When D'Antoni looks at Sam Dekker, he starts to get flashbacks of: Spoiler Dekker's D ain't on that level yet but he's definitely going towards that role.
Reminds me of that game Parsons rookie season where he surprisingly did a great job on Durant. His entire rookie year he was seen as a defensive guy, then his head got big and he stopped caring about defense in favor of offense. Let's hope Dekker doesn't repeat the same mistakes.
I think part of it - and this is in no way to diminish his BBALL IQ and how he's performing on the court - is that the guy is physically gifted. You look at him and it's easy to forget, with his gait and style, that he is really athletic. I'll do the classic white boy comparison, but he's Chandler's size, taller standing reach, and just as athletic. And deceptive about it. And smart about it. The league may get some more tape on him, but if he's really smart he'll keep adding moves and counters. The non white boy comparison, it's very similar measurements to a Paul George, for example. Now of course I don't see Paul George upside. It is interesting to compare George's rookie year with Dekker this year (his real rookie year), though George was 2 years younger. Sam doesn't seem like he'll ever have the handles to be that good. BUt can he develop into a mid teens scorer, 5 ish boards a game a couple assists, good energy, hustle and effort defensively? Seems possible.
That's on coaching. A better coach would have been able to get more out of Parsons on defense. He used to contest EVERYTHING. Too late for him now.
I'm not saying I want to trade Dekker, Montrezl or Capela, but I am saying I'm glad to see all of those guys drastically increasing their value. If somebody like Paul George, Westbrook or Boogie become available we'll need a valuable young guy or two to make it happen.
Yeah, I can't remember the last time all of our young prospects were playing their roles well simultaneously. There was always somebody that wasn't panning out. I guess Ennis was playing terribly, but I don't consider him ours and he was only in the rotation due to injury anyway.
thanks for the comparison. Interesting. Its only early 20 games (cant remember if he played significant minutes from the first game) in his rookie season I think he will astonish us with his achievements if he continues to get playing time. God knows what he's capable of doing. Only time will tell.
Dekker is different from Parsons in significant ways. Physically, Dekker has a bigger frame-- Parsons has small shoulders-- and is more capable of spending time at PF without being punished physically too badly. Parsons, on the other hand, seems to have more "point-forward" skills. Dekker is more of a rim-runner/finisher.
He doesn't remind me of Parsons all that much. Marvin Williams is the comp that keeps coming to me, though Dekker's maybe an inch taller.
I love Dekker's game, all he needed was to get an NBA jumpshot and stronger. Definite contributor on 2nd teams. Definitely reminds me of Chandler Parson. I would also trade Brewer for Chandler
That's the way the world works man. It sucks. Dekker is better around the basket than Nene. Knows how to hesitate or use the backboard as a shield from getting blocked...
I hope not. He essentially didn't play last season. How can you win Most Improved over what was basically a DNP? It's too bad he did play those handful of games, BTW. If he'd missed the entire regular season, he'd be eligible for Rookie of the Year like Blake Griffin was after he missed what would've been his rookie season.
